For the first time, streaming giant Netflix has used generative artificial intelligence (AI) in one of its TV shows. According to the company, this move is meant to make films and shows cheaper and of better quality.

AI Makes its Netflix TV Debut

A scene from series one of El Eternauta (The Eternaut)
A scene from series one of El Eternauta (The Eternaut); Photo: Mariano Landet/Netflix

Ted Sarandos, a co-chief executive of Netflix, said the Argentinian science fiction series El Eternauta (The Eternaut) was the first made using generative AI footage.

“We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper. There are AI-powered creator tools. So this is real people doing real work with better tools. Our creators are already seeing the benefits in production through pre-visualization and shot-planning work, and certainly visual effects. It used to be that only big-budget projects would have access to advanced visual effects like de-aging,” Sarandos stated on the company’s post-results conference call to analysts after Netflix reported its second-quarter results, according to TechCrunch.

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The series tells the story of survivors of a sudden and devastating toxic snowfall. According to Sarandos, Netflix and visual effects (VFX) artists used AI to create the shot of a building collapsing in Buenos Aires.

The use of AI tools here allowed Netflix to fund the show at a significantly lower cost than its typical budget.

“Using AI-powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed and, in fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with traditional VFX tools and workflows,” Sarandos stated, according to The Guardian.

Sarandos estimated that the use of AI allowed the scene to be finished 10x faster than it would have with traditional visual effect tools.

“This is real people doing real work with better tools. Our creators are already seeing the benefits in production through pre-visualisation and shot planning work, and certainly visual effects. I think these tools are helping creators expand the possibilities of storytelling on screen, and that is endlessly exciting.”